A winch is an assembly of rotary components that cooperate to haul in or pay out a tether (e.g., a steel cable, a rope, a chain, etc.), which may be under high tension. Winches can be used in any industry and for any purpose. For example, a winch can be used on a dredge to lift and/or swing a suction ladder, on a vessel to raise an anchor, on logging equipment to pull logs to a landing, on a crane to pick up a load, and in a building to raise an elevator. Winches can be electrically powered, hydraulically powered, pneumatically powered, and/or mechanically powered (e.g., by an engine).
A conventional winch includes a drum, about which the tether is coiled. The drum is rotationally mounted within a support by way of dedicated bearings. A power source (e.g., a high-speed hydraulic motor) is connected to a shaft of the drum via a reducing gear box. The reducing gear box includes a housing, and a planetary gear arrangement disposed in the housing. The planetary gear arrangement reduces an input speed supplied by the hydraulic motor, while simultaneously increasing an output torque driving the shaft of the drum. A parking or fail-safe-brake is generally connected to an end of the shaft opposite the motor and gear box, and functions to prevent rotation of the drum in the event of a failure (e.g., an electric power failure). A dynamic brake is generally disposed inside the drum and connected to the shaft via a 3-way clutch. Although conventional winches may be adequate for some applications, they can also have numerous heavy components, require a large operating space, and be complex and costly.
The winch assembly of the present disclosure addresses one or more of the needs set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.